Systems and methods for providing telephony services

ABSTRACT

A system and method for enabling a user to purchase an instant mobile telephony services plan makes use of an application on a mobile telephony device. The user can purchase an instant mobile plan via a third party merchant. Once purchased, the user can also make use of the application on the user&#39;s mobile telephony device to obtain the purchased telephony services. The communications services provider that provides services to the user under an instant mobile plan may be different from the communications services provider that is tied to the user&#39;s mobile telephony device.

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.13/102,217, which was filed May 6, 2011, the contents of which arehereby incorporated by reference. This application also claims priorityto U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/473,911, which was filedApr. 11, 2011, the contents of which are also hereby incorporated byreference.

BACKGROUND OF THE TECHNOLOGY

The technology is related to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)telephone systems which connect telephone calls, deliver text messagesand provide other telephony services using data packet communications.In particular, the technology is related to systems and methods ofproviding users with VoIP-based telephony services under rate plans orrate agreements.

A user wishing to obtain telephony services typically establishes anenduring relationship with one telephony services provider. The usertypically agrees to purchase telephony services under a monthly serviceplan, and the service plan dictates how much the user is charged for thetelephony services.

One example would be for a user to agree to pay a monthly fee for aservice plan that allows the user to make unlimited telephone calls totelephone numbers within a defined geographical region, such as withintheir own country. Such a plan might also establish a per minute chargefor telephone calls to telephone numbers located outside the definedgeographical region. A different per minute charge would typically bespecified for telephone calls to different geographical regions. Withthese types of service plans, the user is forced to establish a longterm relationship with the telephony services provider. The serviceprovider usually assigns a telephone number to the user, and bills theuser on a monthly basis. Also, specific equipment such as a mobiletelephony device that is associated with the telephony services providermust be purchased, leased or otherwise acquired in order to access adedicated service provider network.

More recently, it is possible for a user to purchase a specified amountof telephony services from a telephony services provider withoutentering into a long term or enduring relationship with the serviceprovider. For example, it is possible for a user to purchase a specifiednumber of calling minutes which can be used to place telephone calls totelephone numbers within a particular geographical area. Under this typeof service plan, each time the user places a telephone call, the totalnumber of minutes used during the call are deducted from the totalnumber of minutes initially purchased by the user. Once the total numberof minutes has been used, the user can no longer place telephone calls.

In most instances, when a user purchases only a specified number ofminutes from a telephony services provider, simply dialing the telephonenumber of the party the user wishes to reach is not possible. Instead,the user must first dial an access number, and then input anidentification number. This allows the telephony services provider toverify that the user has already paid for a valid service plan, and thatthe plan still includes unused calling minutes. Once the telephonyservice provider has verified these items, the user is allowed to dial atelephone number in order to place a telephone call.

These types of telephony service plans are inconvenient for two reasons.First, the user must accomplish a financial transaction with thetelephony services provider, or with a third party merchant, in order topurchase the defined number of calling minutes. And the purchase processcannot normally be accomplished quickly and easily via the user'stelephony device. Instead, the purchase is done in person at a thirdparty merchant, or online using a web browser which allows the user tointeract with an online merchant in order to purchase the rate plan.

Second, once the user has purchased a telephony services plan, the useris forced to dial an access number and provide identifying informationbefore the user is allowed to place a telephone call under the servicesplan. This process is time consuming and inconvenient.

More recently, some telephony services providers have developedapplications which can be downloaded and installed onto a user's mobiletelephony device. The application provides an interface that facilitatesthe user's usage of purchased service plans. Once the user has purchaseda service plan from the telephony services provider, the application canbe used to easily dial a telephone number to place a telephone callunder the rate plan. Thus, the application may eliminate the need tofirst dial an access number, and to provide identifying information,before it is possible to actually place a telephone call.

However, even when a telephony service provider's application is loadedonto a user's mobile telephony device, the user is still forced toconduct a separate financial transaction with the telephony servicesprovider in order to purchase a service plan. That financial transactionnormally requires the use of an Internet browser which interacts withthe telephony service provider so that the user can purchase a serviceplan using a credit card.

Existing telephony service providers are not able to provide a user withan easy, convenient and quick way to purchase a rate plan via theirmobile telephony device, where the user can thereafter immediately beginusing the purchased telephony services via their mobile telephonydevice.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram of various elements associated with a VoIP telephonysystem and typical PSTNs;

FIG. 2 is a diagram of various elements of a processor which can be partof a VoIP telephony system;

FIG. 3 is a diagram of various elements that allow users to purchasetelephony services from a VoIP telephony service provider, and thatallow the VoIP telephony system to provide the purchased telephonyservices to the users;

FIG. 4 is a diagram of steps of a method in which a user purchases aninstant mobile telephony services plan;

FIG. 5 is a diagram of steps of a method of verifying that a user hasmade a valid purchase of an instant mobile telephony services plan;

FIG. 6 is a diagram of steps of a method of providing telephony servicesto a user under an instant mobile telephony services plan; and

FIG. 7 is a diagram of steps of a method of updating various databaseswithin a VoIP telephony system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Elements typically involved in providing a user with VoIP-basedtelephony services are illustrated in FIG. 1. As shown therein, a VoIPtelephony system 140 is connected to the Internet 130. The VoIPtelephony system 140 may also be connected to one or more publicswitched telephone networks (PSTNs) and/or cellular networks via agateway 143. In the following description, a PSTN and a cellular networkwill be considered part of the same overall system.

The VoIP telephony service 140 receives requests for telephony servicesvia the Internet 130 or via the PSTN/cellular networks 120, 122, 124. Inresponse to a request to set up a telephone call to a destinationtelephone number, the VoIP telephony system 140 establishes a telephonecall between the requesting telephony device and the called telephonydevice through the Internet 130. In some instances, the call may alsotraverse one or more PSTN/cellular networks.

For example, a user's first mobile telephony device 102 could be used tosend a call setup request to the VoIP telephony system 140 via datatraversing the Internet 130. Specifically, a user could request that atelephone call be connected between the first mobile telephony device102 and the analog telephone 106. In response to the request, the VoIPtelephony system 140 sets up a telephone call to the analog telephone106 via the gateway 143 and the first PSTN/cellular network 120.

FIG. 1 also illustrates that telephone calls can be connected throughthe VoIP telephony system 140 to telephony devices located in othercountries. For example, the VoIP telephony system 140 could set up atelephone call between the first mobile telephony device 102 and analogtelephone 112 located in a second country. This would be accomplished byrouting the telephone call through the Internet 130, and then throughthe PSTN/cellular network 122 located in the second country.

In addition, a user of the VoIP telephony system 140 could be located inthe second country. For example, a customer of the VoIP service couldutilize the second mobile telephony device 108 located in the secondcountry to request that a call be established between the second mobiletelephony device 108 and cellular telephone 104. The second mobiletelephony device 108 would communicate with the VoIP system 140 via theInternet. And the VoIP service would establish the call using thePSTN/cellular network 120 and the gateway 143.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, a cellular telephone 110 and an analogtelephone are connected to the second country's PSTN/cellular network122. These devices could be placed in contact with users of the VoIPtelephony service via VoIP telephone calls that traverse the Internet130 and the second country's PSTN/cellular network 122.

As also illustrated in FIG. 1, a cellular telephone 114 and a thirdmobile telephony device 116 located in a third country could also obtaintelephony services from the VoIP telephony system 140 through theInternet 130 and via a PSTN/cellular network 124 located in the thirdcountry.

As explained above, the location of the VoIP telephony service isrelatively unimportant. So long as the customer has an Internetconnection, or a data connection via a data channel of a cellularnetwork, customers can access the VoIP telephony system 140 via theInternet.

The subject invention provides a new way of allowing users to purchaseand use a telephony services plan. The new systems and methods make iteasy to purchase a telephony service plan using a telephony device. Oncethe service plan has been purchased, the user can immediately beginutilizing the service plan to obtain telephony services. The disclosedsystems and methods make it fast, easy and convenient to purchase anduse telephony services with a single telephony device. Moreover, thepurchased service plan is not necessarily associated with the nativeservice provider of the mobile telephony device.

In the following description, references will be made to a “mobilecomputing device” and to a “mobile telephony device.” These terms areused to refer to mobile devices which are capable of downloading,installing and running applications. Such devices are also capable ofinteracting with a VoIP telephony service, via a digital data link, toobtain telephony services. Examples of such devices include the iPhone™,the iTouch™, the iPad™, all of which are manufactured and sold by Apple,Inc. of Cupertino, Calif., as well as other similar mobile telephonesand mobile computing devices.

Also, in the following description, a distinction will be made betweenusers who interact with a VoIP telephony system under a traditionalservices plan, and users who interact with the VoIP telephony system topurchase a service plan that includes a pre-defined bundle of telephonyservices. For purposes of the following description, service plans thatprovide only a pre-defined bundle of telephony services will be referredto as an “instant mobile telephony service plan.” However, thisdescription of the service plan should in no way be considered limiting.

In some instances, an instant mobile plan could allow a user to obtainan unlimited amount of telephony services that are terminated in aparticular geographical area for a predetermined period of time. Forinstance, a plan could allow a user to make one or more number oftelephone calls or allow the user to send one or more instant messages,text messages or SMS messages to telephone numbers located within aparticular geographical area for a predetermined period of time. Thetime period could be one day, one week, one month, or some other periodof time.

The telephony service provided under an instant mobile plan could alsoenable a user to send one or more videos to a telephony deviceassociated with a particular destination telephone number. The amount ofvideo sent under a plan could be unlimited for a predetermined period oftime. Alternatively, the user could be limited to sending apredetermined number of video clips having a predetermined maximum datafile size. In still other instances, the plan may limit the user tosending a predetermined total number of gigabytes of video data.

An instant mobile plan could be limited to only placing one or moretelephone calls, or the plan could be limited to only sending textmessages, or the plan could include both placing telephone calls andsending text messages. The ability to send videos may be included in aplan, or the ability to send video files could be a plan option that theuser pays extra to obtain.

An instant mobile plan could also allow a user to obtain a predeterminednumber of minutes of calling time for calls directed to telephonenumbers within a particular geographical area. Similarly, a plan couldallow a user to send a predetermined number of text messages totelephone numbers within a predetermined geographical area. In otherinstances, an instant mobile plan could allow a user to obtain apredetermined number of minutes of calling time, and send apredetermined number of text messages to telephone numbers within apredetermined geographical area. These types of plans might also be timelimited in some fashion. For example, an instant mobile plan could allowa user to obtain a predetermined number of minutes of calling time, solong as the calls are made within a predetermined period of time such asone month, or one year.

Because the cost of terminating calls and sending text messages variesdepending on the location where the calls/messages are sent, instantmobile plans would typically be priced differently depending on thelocation where the calls will terminate. In other instances, however, aparticular instant mobile plan might allow a user to place an unlimitednumber of calls or obtain a predetermined number of minutes of callingtime to numbers in any geographical location whatsoever, with acorresponding price being attached to that plan.

As noted above, under a traditional calling plan, the user is assigned atelephone number, and the user is often identified by that telephonenumber. When a user purchases an instant mobile telephony services plan,the user will not typically be assigned a telephone number. Instead, theplan will be associated with a particular identifier. The identifiercould be a username selected by the user. The identifier or the usernamemay be assigned by the VoIP telephony system itself when the instantmobile plan is purchased. The identifier could be things other than ausername, such as an email address. Virtually any type of identifiercapable of uniquely identifying the party purchasing the plan could beused.

FIG. 3 illustrates elements of a VoIP system 140 which can be used toprovide telephony services to users. As shown in FIG. 3, the VoIPtelephony system 140 includes a VoIP telephony system control center 141with a routing engine 142, a central user database 144, a call detailrecord (CDR) generation unit, and a CDR database 148. The control center141 also includes a purchase verification unit 145, an instant mobileplan database 149, and an instant mobile plan update unit 147.

The routing engine 142 provides information which allows telephone callsto be routed to a destination telephony device associated with a dialedtelephone number. As is well known to those of ordinary skill in theart, a routing engine will typically provide a list of destinationgateways which can be used to complete a call to a dialed telephonenumber.

The central user database includes various items of information aboutindividual users. The central user database can indicate whether or nota user is currently authorized to make certain types of telephone callsor obtain other forms of telephony services. A central user database canalso include various items of information which help to prevent fraud.

The central VoIP telephony system tracks information about each of thecalls which are completed for its users. Typically, each time a usermakes a telephone call, at the completion of the telephone call, variousitems of information about the call are stored by the system. Theinformation recorded for a particular call is referred to as a CallDetail Record (CDR). The CDR generation unit 146 actually generates theCDR, and the CDR is recorded in the CDR database 148.

The VoIP telephony system 140 includes multiple different callprocessing units 200, 210, 250, 260. Typically, the call processingunits are located at different geographical locations. In the embodimentillustrated in FIG. 3, some call processing units 200, 210 are designedto provide telephony services to a user under a traditional service planwhere the user pays a monthly fee for access to the system. Other callprocessing units 250, 260 are configured to provide telephony servicesto users who have purchased an instant mobile telephony service plan. Ofcourse, some call processing units could be configured to providetelephony services to both types of users.

The call processing units 200, 210 specifically designed to providetelephony service to traditional plan users each includes a proxy server202, 212. When a traditional plan user wishes to make a telephone call,a call set up request is sent from the user's telephony device to one ofthe call processing units 200, 210. For example, when a user dials atelephone number on mobile telephony device 102, the mobile telephonydevice 102 sends a call setup request to call processing unit 200 viathe Internet 130. The call setup request is received by the proxy server202. When the proxy server 202 receives a call setup request, the proxyserver 202 communicates with the routing engine 202, via the Internet130, to obtain call routing information.

The proxy server utilizes the routing information to implement the callto the dialed telephone number. This could include routing the call tothe IP telephone 105 via the Internet 130. This could also includerouting the call to the analog telephone 118, via the Internet 130 andthe IP adaptor 119. In still other instances, this could include routingthe call to analog telephone 106 or cellular telephone 104 via thePSTN/cellular network 120.

At the completion of the call, the proxy server 202, 212, or some otherelement within the call processing unit 200, 210 sends information aboutthe call to the CDR generation unit 146 within the VoIP telephony systemcontrol center 141. The CDR generation unit 146 uses this information,and possibly information obtained from other sources, to create a calldetail record which is stored in the CDR database 148. The dashed linebetween the proxy servers 202, 212, and the CDR generation unit 146indicates this flow of information about calls which have been made bythe users.

Although the above description explains what occurs when a user places atelephone call, similar actions would occur if a user requested someother type of telephony service. For example, a very similar processwould occur if the user wished to send a text or SMS message to atelephony device associated with a particular telephone number.

The call processing units 250, 260 that provide telephony services tousers under an instant mobile service plan include additionalfunctionality. Specifically, before telephony services are provided toan instant mobile plan user, the call processing units 250, 260determine whether the user has purchased an instant mobile plan thatwould entitle the user to receive the requested service. Also, for thoseinstant mobile plans that provide only a predetermined number of callingminutes or a predetermined number of text messages, a determination ismade regarding unused calling minutes or text messages remaining on thepurchased plan.

The process of purchasing an instant mobile telephony services plan, andthen using the plan to obtain telephony services will now be describedin connection with FIGS. 4-7. The description will also refer toelements of the VoIP telephony system 140 illustrated in FIG. 3.

As noted above, the systems and methods described herein allow a user topurchase an instant mobile telephony services plan using a mobiletelephony device. In particular, users would purchase an instant mobileplan using an application loaded onto a mobile telephony device such as,but not limited to, the aforementioned Apple products. Also, although auser's mobile telephony device is typically associated with and/or tiedto a service provider network, the instant mobile telephony service planis not necessarily tied to that service provider network. In fact, theservice provider that delivers telephony services to a user under aninstant mobile services plan could have no relationship with thetelephony service provider which the user's mobile telephony device isassociated.

A user would first download and install an application on his mobiletelephony device. The application is provided by the VoIP telephonysystem. During the initial installation and configuration process, theuser may provide a telephone number which is assigned to the user'smobile telephony device. When provided, that telephone number may beused when placing telephone calls for purposes of caller ID. Once theuser has downloaded and installed the application, the applicationitself is used to facilitate the purchase an instant mobile telephonyservices calling plan. Steps of the method of purchasing an instantmobile telephony services calling plan are as illustrated in FIG. 4.

As shown in FIG. 4, in step S402, the user utilizes the applicationinstalled on the user's mobile telephony device to obtain a list ofmobile telephony service plans which can be purchased. As noted above,different plans enable the user to place telephone calls and/or sendtext messages to various different geographical locations.

Information describing the different available instant mobile plans,which are presented to the user by the application, could be stored inmultiple different locations. In some instances, the applicationinstalled on the user's mobile telephony device may include informationabout available plan options. In other instances, the application on theuser's mobile telephony device may obtain information on available plansfrom the VoIP telephony system control center 141. In still otherinstances, the application may obtain information on available planoptions from a third party merchant that will process the purchasetransaction.

The actual purchase of an instant mobile telephony services plan wouldbe made via a third party online merchant 170. As illustrated in FIG. 3,the third party online merchant 170 is available via the Internet 130.In some embodiments, the VoIP telephony system control center 141establishes a number of instant mobile telephony service plans, andthose plans are stored by the third party online merchant 170 as itemsavailable for purchase. The application on the user's mobile telephonydevice 102 may communicate with the third party online merchant 170 viathe Internet 130 to obtain information about the instant mobile plansthat are available for purchase.

Turning back to the method illustrated in FIG. 4, once the user has beenpresented with a list of available instant mobile telephony serviceplans, in step S404, the user selects a plan. The application on theuser's mobile telephony device 102 captures the user's plan selection insome suitable fashion. In step S406, the application on the user'smobile telephony device 102 informs the third party online merchant 170of the selection made by the user.

The third party online merchant 170 then interacts directly with theuser, via the user's mobile telephony device 102, to accomplish thepurchase of the selected instant mobile plan. Information passing backand forth between the user and the third party online merchant 170 isnot visible to the application on the user's mobile telephony device.Thus, any financial information or passwords which are used in order toexecute the purchase is not made available to the application, or to theVoIP telephony service that created the application.

Many third party online merchants establish enduring relationships withindividual users to make the purchase of items on their websites quickand easy. For example, an online merchant can allow a user to storecredit card information which can be re-used to make multiple purchasesover an extended period of time. In instances where the user storescredit card information with the online merchant, the online merchant isable to identify the user with a username and password.

One example of a third party online merchant which could be used tofacilitate the purchase of an instant mobile telephony services plan isthe Apple iTunes™ Store. The Apple iTunes™ Store allows a user to storecredit card information, and that credit card information can be used tomake multiple purchases over an extended period of time. The AppleiTunes™ Store is also designed to interact with various different mobilecommuting devices such as the aforementioned Apple products.

Once a user's credit card information has been stored within the AppleiTunes™ store, it is no longer necessary for the user to enter creditcard information for each individual purchase. In addition, the AppleiTunes™ store is able to identify users via the unique identificationnumbers assigned to the iPhone™, iTouch™ and iPad™ devices. Thus, when auser logs onto the Apple iTunes™ store using one of those devices, theiTunes™ store may be capable of identifying the user. To make apurchase, the user need only enter a password. Thus, purchases can bemade on the previously recorded credit card by simply supplying apassword.

In step S408 of the method illustrated in FIG. 4, the third party onlinemerchant 170 interacts with a user via the user's mobile telephonydevice to allow the user to quickly and easily purchase the selectedinstant mobile telephony services calling plan. If the third partyonline merchant 170 has already identified the user by virtue of anidentification number assigned to the user's mobile telephony device,the third party online merchant 170 may only need to ask the user toinput his password to execute the purchase. In other instances, the usermay be asked for a username and a password. If the user inputs thecorrect information, the third party online merchant 170 executes thepurchase using the user's pre-recorded credit card information. As notedabove, the user's username and password information would be shieldedfrom the application on the user's mobile telephony device.

Although references have been made to the Apple iTunes™ store, otheronline merchants could also be used to make the purchase of the instantmobile plan. Thus, the description of use of the Apple iTunes™ storeshould in no way be considered limiting.

The online merchant that facilitated the purchase of the instant mobileplan issues an electronic receipt for the purchase. This electronicreceipt could be transmitted directly to the application on the user'smobile telephony device that is being used to make the purchase. Thus,the method illustrated in FIG. 4 includes step S410, in which theapplication receives the electronic receipt, or at least some details orinformation contained in the electronic receipt.

In step S412, the application on the user's mobile telephony deviceforwards details or information from the electronic receipt issued bythe online merchant to the VoIP telephony system control center 141. Asdescribed in more detail below, this will allow the VoIP telephonyservice to confirm that the purchase was made.

Once a user has purchased an instant mobile telephony service planthrough an online merchant 170, the VoIP telephony system control center141 attempts to validate the purchase before providing the user withtelephony services. This would typically be done through communicationspassing directly back and forth between the VoIP telephony systemcontrol center 141 and the third party online merchant 170. Steps of averification method are illustrated in FIG. 5.

As shown in FIG. 5, in step S502, the VoIP telephony system controlcenter 141 receives information from the electronic receipt generated bythe third party online merchant 170. This information is forwarded tothe VoIP telephony system control center 141 by the application on auser's mobile telephony device.

Next, using the information from the electronic receipt, the VoIPtelephony system control center 141 interacts with the third partyonline merchant 170 to verify that the user has made a valid purchase ofa particular instant mobile telephony services plan. If the third partyonline merchant 170 verifies that the purchase is valid, in step S506,the VoIP telephony system control center 141 updates a database ofinstant mobile telephony calling plans 149 which is also present withinthe VoIP telephony system control center 141.

As shown in FIG. 3, an instant mobile telephony services calling plandatabase 149 is stored at the VoIP telephony system control center 141.This database lists all valid instant mobile telephony service plans. Asnoted above, information about each calling plan is stored against aparticular username established for the user who purchased the plan.

The information stored in the instant mobile telephony service plandatabase 149 could include beginning and ending dates for unlimitedservices calling plans. The database 149 could also include informationabout the number of unused minutes for calling plans where a user haspurchased a specified number of calling minutes. The database 149 couldalso include information about the rate that was charged to the user,and the geographical location or locations to which the user isauthorized to terminate the calls.

If a calling plan also permits a user to send text messages, informationabout the text messages could also be included in the database. Forexample, if the plan allows a user to send a predetermined number oftext messages over a predetermined period of time, the database couldindicate the number of text messages that have already been sent, and/orthe number that the user can still send within the predetermined periodof time. Of course, a variety of other types of information could alsobe stored within this database.

As explained above with reference to the system illustrated in FIG. 3,when a user wishes to place a telephone call, or send a text message,the user's mobile telephony device 102 sends a message to a callprocessing unit 250, 260 via the Internet 130. As illustrated in FIG. 3,the call processing units 250, 260 capable of completing calls under aninstant mobile plan include mobile plan validation units 256, 266, andlocal copies of the mobile plan database 258, 268. These features areused to determine whether a request for telephony services should befulfilled.

As noted above, the central VoIP telephony system control center 141maintains a mobile plan database 149 which lists all active plans forits users. Copies of this mobile plan database 149 are periodically sentto each of the call processing units 250, 260 responsible for providingtelephony services to instant mobile plan users.

A user wishing to place a telephone call using an instant mobile planfirst runs or activates the application on the user's mobile telephonydevice 102 which was originally used to purchase the instant mobileplan. The user inputs the destination telephone number, and theapplication sends a message to one of the call processing units 250, 260to request that a call be placed to the destination telephone number, orto request that a text message be sent to the destination telephonenumber.

FIG. 6 illustrates steps of a method in which telephony services areprovided to a user under an instant mobile telephony services plan. Themethod begins with step S602, where one of the call processing units250, 260 receives the request for telephony services from theapplication on the user's mobile telephony device 102. The methodproceeds to step S604, where the mobile plan proxy server 252, 262requests that a mobile plan validation unit 256, 266 determine if theuser is authorized to receive the requested telephony service. Themobile plan validation unit 256, 266 checks the local copy of theinstant mobile plan database 258, 268 to determine if this particularuser has purchased an instant mobile plan which would allow the user toobtain the requested telephony services.

In some embodiments, the mobile plan validation unit 256, 266 would beseparate from but co-located with the mobile plan proxy server 252, 262.In other embodiments, the functions performed by the mobile planvalidation unit may be carried out by the same physical device acting asthe mobile plan proxy server. In still other embodiments, the functionsperformed by the mobile plan validation unit may be performed by adevice that is in a different physical location than the proxy server.For example, the mobile plan validation unit 256, 266, and thecorresponding local copy of the mobile plan database 258, 268 may be ata central location, and communications between the mobile plan proxyserver 252, 262 and the mobile plan validation unit 256, 266 maytraverse the Internet or a private data network.

During step S604, the mobile plan validation unit 256, 266 checks thelocal copy of the mobile plan database 258, 268 to determine if the userhas purchased an instant mobile plan which would allow the user toobtain the requested telephony services. If the user has purchased aninstant mobile plan providing unlimited services to a particularlocation, this could involve checking to determine if the destinationtelephone number is within the geographical area covered by the plan.This check may also involve determining whether the purchased plan isstill in effect, given the date of the request. In situations where theuser has purchased a predetermined amount of telephony services, such asa predetermined number of calling minutes, or a predetermined number oftext messages, the check may involve determining whether the user hasalready reached the limit of the plan.

If the check of the local copy of the mobile plan database indicatesthat the user is authorized to receive the requested telephony service,the mobile plan validation unit 256, 266 so informs the mobile planproxy server 252, 262. In step S606, the proxy server fulfills therequest. This could include connecting a call to the destinationtelephone number, sending a text message to the destination telephonenumber, or providing some other type of telephony service.

Finally, after the requested telephony service has been provided to theuser, the mobile plan proxy server 252, 262 sends information about thetelephony service that has been provided to the user to the VoIPtelephony system control center 141. The dashed lines in FIG. 3 leadingaway from the mobile plan proxy servers 252, 262 and back to the VoIPtelephony system control center 141 indicate the flow of informationabout telephony services which have been provided to a user under aninstant mobile calling plan.

As explained above, in a traditional VoIP telephony service, informationabout a call that has been completed would be compiled into a calldetail record by the CDR generation unit 146, and the CDR would bestored in a CDR database 148. This same basic process would continue tooccur for calls made under an instant mobile calling plan. Thus, thedashed lines in FIG. 3 leading to the CDR generation unit 146 indicatethat the information about completed telephone calls is still being usedfor purposes of generating call detail records.

In some embodiments, the CDR generation unit 146 which is used to createCDRs for traditional telephony service plan users would also be used tocreate CDRs for instant mobile plan users. A CDR would be generated andstored in the CDR database 148.

In alternate embodiments, a separate instant mobile plan update unit 147could be used to create CDRs for telephone calls made under an instantmobile service plan. In those embodiments, the information provided bythe mobile plan proxy servers 252, 262 would be used to generate theCDRs, and the instant mobile plan update unit 147 would store the CDRsin the same CDR database 148.

Some of the same basic information used to create a CDR for a call madeunder an instant mobile service plan is also used to update the mobileplan database 149. For example, if a user has purchased an instantmobile plan which provides for 100 minutes of calling time to aparticular geographical area, each time that a user makes a telephonecall under the plan, the utilized minutes must be deducted from thetotal number of minutes which the user originally purchased. Thisinformation is stored in the mobile plan database 149.

Once a call has been completed under such a plan, information about thecall is sent to the instant mobile plan update unit 147. Thisinformation could be sent directly from the mobile plan proxy servers252, 262 to the instant mobile plan update unit 147. Alternatively, someor all of the information sent from the mobile plan proxy servers 252,262 to the CDR generation unit 146 could be forwarded on from the CDRgeneration unit 146 to the instant mobile plan update unit 147. In stillother embodiments, information sent from the mobile plan proxy servers252, 262 could first be sent to the instant mobile plan update unit 147,and some or all of that information could be forwarded from the instantmobile plan update unit 147 to the CDR generation unit 146.

FIG. 7 illustrates steps of a method of updating instant mobile plandata after a telephony service has been provided under an instant mobileplan. The method begins in step S702, where some element of the VoIPtelephony system control center 141 receives information about atelephony service that has been provided under an instant mobile plan.As explained above, this could include information sent from a mobileplan proxy server 252, 262 that actually provided the service to theuser. This information could be received after the service has beenprovided. However, this information could also be received while thetelephony service is being provided.

For example, a mobile plan proxy server could send multiple pieces ofinformation about a call made by a user under an instant mobile plan.When a call is first setup for the user, the mobile plan proxy serverthat set the call up might send a first batch of information to the VoIPtelephony system control center 141 indicating that the call has beenestablished between the user and a destination telephony device. Thiscould include the start time of the call. When the call is completed,the mobile plan proxy server might send a second batch of information tothe VoIP telephony system control center 141. The second batch ofinformation could include the end time of the call.

In other instances, the VoIP telephony system control center 141 couldreceive information about a telephony service provided to a user underan instant mobile service plan from multiple different sources. Forexample, the information could come from the mobile plan proxy serverthat set up the service, as well as other system assets that helped todeliver the telephony service to user.

As noted above, information about a telephony service provided to a userunder an instant mobile service plan could be received by the CDRgeneration unit 146, by the instant mobile plan update unit 147, by bothof these units, and/or by other portions of the VoIP telephony systemcontrol center 141.

In step S704, the received information would then be used to create aCDR for the telephony service provided under the instant mobile plan,and the CDR would be stored in the CDR database 148. As noted above, theCDR may be created by the CDR generation unit, or by the instant mobileplan update unit 147.

Finally, in step S706, the central mobile plan database 149 would beupdated, as necessary, based on the usage that occurred when thetelephony service was provided to the user. For example, if the instantmobile plan was one where the user purchased a predetermined number ofcalling minutes or a predetermined number of text messages, the actualusage would be deducted from the current balance, and the new balancewould be stored in the mobile plan database.

As also noted above, the mobile plan database 149 would be periodicallycopied to each of the call processing units 250, 260 which providetelephony services to instant mobile plan users. To help prevent fraud,the updated mobile plan database 149 will be copied to each of the callprocessing units 250, 260 on a frequent basis. This ensures that acustomer's usage of plan minutes or plan text messages will be currentin the local copies of the mobile plan database 258, 268 each time thata mobile plan proxy server makes a check to determine if the user isauthorized to receive a requested telephony service.

Moreover, to help prevent fraud, information about telephony servicesthat have already been provided to users under an instant mobile serviceplan must be promptly forwarded to the VoIP telephony system controlcenter 141, and the information must be promptly used to update thecentral mobile plan database 149.

As noted above, because a telephone number is not being assigned to auser when the user purchases an instant mobile calling plan, an instantmobile user would typically not be associated with any individualtelephone number. Instead, the user would be associated with a usernamewhich has been selected by the VoIP telephony system or by the user.

In normal call detail records stored in the CDR database 148, theoriginating telephone number is noted. In some instances, a CDR couldreflect a username, instead of the originating telephone number. Thismay require that the CDR database and/or the CDR generation unit 146 bemodified to accommodate this change.

As also described above, when a user downloads and installs anapplication on the user's mobile telephony device which allows for thepurchase and usage of instant mobile calling plans, the user may beprovided with an opportunity to enter a telephone number associated withthe mobile telephony device. This telephone number could appear as theoriginating telephone number of calls placed by the user for purposes ofcaller ID. However, even when a telephone number is used for caller IDpurposes, the telephone number will not necessarily appear in calldetail records.

As noted above, a particular instant mobile plan would likely cost acertain amount for unlimited calls to a particular geographical area, orfor a predetermined number of minutes of calling time for calls directedto a particular geographical area. Because terminating calls todifferent geographical locations costs different amounts, the instantmobile plans would vary in price depending upon the geographicallocation where the calls are to be terminated.

In some instances, the system may be configured such that if the userpurchases a high priced instant mobile plan, the user will still beallowed to place telephone calls to geographical locations which wouldnormally have a lower cost. For example, if a user purchased an instantmobile plan which costs $100 for unlimited calls to a first geographicallocation, the user may be allowed to utilize that instant mobile planfor telephone calls to a second geographical location if the cost of aplan for calls to that second location would have cost less than $100.Alternatively, the user may be blocked from placing any telephone callsto geographical locations other than those identified in the originalinstant mobile calling plan.

In addition, instant mobile plans could differentiate between callsplaced to normal landlines, and calls placed to mobile telephonydevices. An instant mobile plan could permit only calls placed tolandlines, or only calls placed to mobile devices. Alternatively, asingle instant mobile service plan could permit calls to both landlinesand mobile telephony devices.

An instant mobile plan would typically only allow the user to obtaintelephony services via a data connection. A data connection between auser's mobile telephony device and the VoIP telephony system could beestablished through the data channel of a cellular network, or via awireless or wired link to the Internet. However, if the user wishes toutilize an instant mobile plan to place a telephone call from atelephony device which cannot establishing a call via digital data,users may be provided with the option to call a central access number inorder to place the telephone call.

FIG. 2 illustrates elements of a computer processor that can be used aspart of the VoIP telephony service 120 to accomplish various functionsassociated with the present invention. The VoIP telephony service 120could include multiple processors 150 located at various locations inthe system, along with their operating components and programming, eachcarrying out a specific or dedicated portion of the functions performedby the VoIP based telephony service 120.

The processor 150 shown in FIG. 2 may be one of any form of a generalpurpose computer processor used in accessing an IP-based network, suchas a corporate intranet, the Internet or the like. The processor 150comprises a central processing unit (CPU) 152, a memory 154, and supportcircuits 156 for the CPU 152. The processor 150 also includes provisions158/160 for connecting the processor 150 to customer equipment and toservice provider agent equipment, as well as possibly one or moreinput/output devices (not shown) for accessing the processor and/orperforming ancillary or administrative functions related thereto. Theprovisions 158/160 are shown as separate bus structures in FIG. 2;however, they may alternately be a single bus structure withoutdegrading or otherwise changing the intended operability of theprocessor 150.

The memory 154 is coupled to the CPU 152. The memory 154, orcomputer-readable medium, may be one or more of readily available memorysuch as random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), floppy disk,hard disk, flash memory or any other form of digital storage, includingbut not limited to non-volatile memory, local or remote. The supportcircuits 156 are coupled to the CPU 152 for supporting the processor ina conventional manner. These circuits include cache, power supplies,clock circuits, input/output circuitry and subsystems, and the like.

A software routine 162, when executed by the CPU 152, causes theprocessor 150 to perform processes of the disclosed embodiments, and isgenerally stored in the memory 154. The software routine 162 may also bestored and/or executed by a second CPU (not shown) that is remotelylocated from the hardware being controlled by the CPU 152. Also, thesoftware routines could also be stored remotely from the CPU. Forexample, the software could be resident on servers and memory devicesthat are located remotely from the CPU, but which are accessible to theCPU via a data network connection.

The software routine 162, when executed by the CPU 152, transforms thegeneral purpose computer into a specific purpose computer that performsone or more functions of the VoIP telephony service 120. Although theprocesses of the disclosed embodiments may be discussed as beingimplemented as a software routine, some of the method steps that aredisclosed therein may be performed in hardware as well as by a processorrunning software. As such, the embodiments may be implemented insoftware as executed upon a computer system, in hardware as anapplication specific integrated circuit or other type of hardwareimplementation, or a combination of software and hardware. The softwareroutine 162 of the disclosed embodiments is capable of being executed onany computer operating system, and is capable of being performed usingany CPU architecture.

While the technology has been described in connection with what ispresently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments,it is to be understood that the technology is not to be limited to thedisclosed embodiments, but on the contrary, is intended to cover variousmodifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit andscope of the appended claims.

1. A method, which is performed by a first telephony service provider,of verifying and recording information about a communications servicesplan purchased by a user, the communications services plan coveringcommunications services that will be provided by the first telephonyservice provider, comprising: receiving information about the purchasedcommunications services plan, such communications services plan beingpurchased from a third party merchant; interacting with the third partymerchant using the received information to verify that the userpurchased the communications services plan from the third partymerchant; and recording information about the purchased communicationsservices plan in a communications services plan database, wherein theinformation is recorded against an identifier.
 2. The method of claim 1,wherein the receiving step comprises receiving information wasoriginally generated, at least in part, by the third party merchant whenthe user purchased the communications services plan from the third partymerchant.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving step comprisesreceiving information from a mobile telephony device with which the userpurchased the communications services plan from the third partymerchant.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the information receivedfrom the mobile telephony device was originally provided to the mobiletelephony device by the third party merchant.
 5. The method of claim 1,wherein the receiving step comprises receiving information from anapplication on a mobile telephony device with which the user purchasedthe communications services plan from the third party merchant.
 6. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the receiving step comprises receivinginformation from a mobile telephony device with which the user purchasedthe communications services plan from the third party merchant, andwherein the mobile telephony device receives its native telephonyservice from a second telephony service provider that is different fromthe first telephony service provider.
 7. The method of claim 1, whereinthe recording step comprises recording information about the purchasedcommunications services plan against an identifier associated with theuser.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the recording step comprisesrecording information about the purchased communications services planagainst an identifier associated with the a mobile telephony device withwhich the user purchased the communications services plan from the thirdparty merchant.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the recording stepcomprises recording information about the purchased communicationsservices plan against an identifier assigned by the first telephonyservice provider.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the recording stepcomprises recording information about the purchased communicationsservices plan against an identifier assigned by the third partymerchant.
 11. The method of claim 1, further comprising recording atelephone number in the communications services plan database againstthe same identifier, wherein the telephone number is associated with amobile telephony device with which the user purchased the communicationsservices plan from the third party merchant.
 12. The method of claim 11,wherein the telephone number was originally assigned by a secondtelephony service provider that provides native telephony service to themobile telephony device.
 13. The method of claim 1, wherein thecommunications services plan is an instant mobile telephony servicesplan that provides the user with a pre-defined bundle of telephonyservices that are provided by the first telephony services provider. 14.The method of claim 13, wherein the recording step comprises recordinginformation about the pre-defined bundle of services in thecommunications services plan database against the identifier.
 15. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising sending a copy of thecommunications services plan database to a proxy server that handlesuser requests for communications services under purchased communicationsservices plans.
 16. A system that is utilized a first telephony serviceprovider for verifying and recording information about a communicationsservices plan purchased by a user, the communications services plancovering communications services that will be provided by the firsttelephony service provider, comprising: means for receiving informationabout the purchased communications services plan, such communicationsservices plan being purchased from a third party merchant; means forinteracting with the third party merchant using the received informationto verify that the user purchased the communications services plan fromthe third party merchant; and means for recording information about thepurchased communications services plan in a communications services plandatabase, wherein the information is recorded against an identifier. 17.A system that is utilized by a first telephony service provider forverifying and recording information about a communications services planpurchased by a user, the communications services plan coveringcommunications services that will be provided by the first telephonyservice provider, comprising: a purchase verification unit that receivesinformation about the purchased communications services plan, suchcommunications services plan being purchased from a third partymerchant, the purchase verification unit also interacting with the thirdparty merchant using the received information to verify that the userpurchased the communications services plan from the third partymerchant; and an update unit that records information about thepurchased communications services plan in a communications services plandatabase, wherein the information is recorded against an identifier. 18.The system of claim 17, wherein the purchase verification unit receivesinformation was originally generated, at least in part, by the thirdparty merchant when the user purchased the communications services planfrom the third party merchant.
 19. The system of claim 17, wherein thepurchase verification unit receives information from a mobile telephonydevice with which the user purchased the communications services planfrom the third party merchant.
 20. The system of claim 19, wherein thepurchase verification unit receives information from the mobiletelephony device was originally provided to the mobile telephony deviceby the third party merchant.
 21. The system of claim 17, wherein thepurchase verification unit receives information from an application on amobile telephony device with which the user purchased the communicationsservices plan from the third party merchant.
 22. The system of claim 17,wherein the purchase verification unit receives information from amobile telephony device with which the user purchased the communicationsservices plan from the third party merchant, and wherein the mobiletelephony device receives its native telephony service from a secondtelephony service provider that is different from the first telephonyservice provider.
 23. The system of claim 17, wherein the update unitrecords information about the purchased communications services planagainst an identifier associated with the user.
 24. The system of claim17, wherein the update unit records information about the purchasedcommunications services plan against an identifier associated with the amobile telephony device with which the user purchased the communicationsservices plan from the third party merchant.
 25. The system of claim 17,wherein the update unit records information about the purchasedcommunications services plan against an identifier assigned by the firsttelephony service provider.
 26. The system of claim 17, wherein theupdate unit records information about the purchased communicationsservices plan against an identifier assigned by the third partymerchant.
 27. The system of claim 17, wherein the update unit records atelephone number in the communications services plan database againstthe same identifier, wherein the telephone number is associated with amobile telephony device with which the user purchased the communicationsservices plan from the third party merchant.
 28. The system of claim 27,wherein the update unit records a telephone number that was originallyassigned by a second telephony service provider that provides nativetelephony service to the mobile telephony device.
 29. The system ofclaim 17, wherein the communications services plan is an instant mobiletelephony services plan that provides the user with a pre-defined bundleof telephony services that are provided by the first telephony servicesprovider.
 30. The system of claim 29, wherein the update unit recordsinformation about the pre-defined bundle of services in thecommunications services plan database against the identifier.
 31. Thesystem of claim 17, wherein the update unit sends a copy of thecommunications services plan database to a proxy server that handlesuser requests for communications services under purchased communicationsservices plans.